Weekend Warriors

She is filled with Grace // Bianca Buitendag

Times were tough on the island of Maui for Bianca Buitendag. With an underdog performance that went through to the quarter finals of the event, Bianca found herself without a spot on the WSL Championship tour in 2017. Though her circumstances seem grim, her attitude and outlook is positive. In order for Bianca to have made the tour next year, she would have to have won the entire event on Maui. That being said, you would never have guessed that was the case by how she was carrying herself throughout her time on the island. She was in a constant state of happiness and worry free. She was herself. 

Rachael Tilly // The Slide Queen

With a humble yet confident approach to her surfing, it's no wonder why Rachael is as successful as she is. Being the reigning WSL Womens Longboarding champ, you would think that she is dangerously focused on keeping her title. However, she is just taking life one step at a time and having as much fun as she can along the way. 

Here are some shots from a few sessions I've had with Rachael. 

Cheers

Bianca Buitendag // Sunset Swim

With an early exit out of the US Open, Bianca found that she had a lot of free time on her hands. On one of those days, the rules were quite simple: No surf talk, and no watching of the contest. We filled the day with talks about life, naps and more naps. Later on, we decided to end the day with a sunset body surf. Here are the images from that afternoon. 

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Carissa Moore // Normal Mornings

5am wakeup call and a breakfast that consists of waves and a cup of coffee. Mornings like this are all to familiar to athletes like Carissa Moore. Recently, I had some time to catch up with this stud of a human. Here are some photos from one of those all too familiar mornings. 

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Leila in Laguna

Spent a day frolicking around Laguna Beach with Leila Hurst. It's always a great time catching up with this one. Here are some captures from the shoot. 

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Nostalgic Pacific Pt. 2

With nostalgic pacific, I try to capture photos in a way that creates a feeling of home in the water for the viewer. Here is the second installment of the series. 

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An Afternoon with Leila

This is Leila. She enjoys swinging in a hammock, chilling on the beach, surfing, long walks along the waters edge during golden hour and her dog, Honey. Here are some photos of an ideal afternoon with Leila Hurst(without her dog). 

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Young at Heart // Dax McGill and Steffi Kerson

It's refreshing to see two top caliber athletes relax and have some fun once in a while. Here are some photos from an afternoon well spent with Dax McGill and Steffi Kerson. 

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Surfer Poll // 2015

Fun times were had at this years Surfer Poll Awards. New friends were made while old friends were able to catch up and the athletes were able to show off what else was in their closets besides board shorts and bikinis. Here are some photos to recap the night. 

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Going for Gold // Carissa Moore

Some girls like the color pink. Others, like gold. Here are some photos of Carissa Moore making the charge on Maui towards her victory and overall world title. 

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Comment votre tête sentir ? // Johanne Defay

Spent a lot of time on Maui with one of my favorite Frenchies, Johanne Defay. Whether it was shopping in Lahaina, surfing at the bay or dancing uncontrollably from place to place. With Johanne, there is never a dull moment that passes. Here are some photos of the journey. 

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Wildflower // Bianca Buitendag

It is always a pleasure being able to photograph Bianca Buitendag. Every moment spent with her is both unpredictable and predictable. You never know what is going to happen... but you definitely know that it will be a great time. Here is a recap of some time spent with the current number 4 in the world on Maui. 

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PRISM Sport // Tara Mackey

Shot the afternoon away with Tara Mackey and Prism Sport the other day. Here are some captures from the shoot. Looking forward to spending more time and working with this one. Check out her blog at http://theorganiclifeblog.com/

Cheers,

Chlorine in my Blood // CBU Aquatics

Growing up as a competitive swimmer I have experienced a lot of things most people can't really relate to. Waking up at 4:30 for a 5:00am practice, dried out chlorine infested skin, the constant slight smell of chlorine on my breath, having the constant hunger of 5 grown men combined, goggle tans and bleached white hair, spending more time with your coaches then with your own parents(Lisa, you know I love you) and much more.

Because of swim, I have learned some of the most valuable life lessons that I carry to this day. Two of those lessons: setting real goals, and achieving those goals. It was because of those two lessons, I dropped swim after my sophomore year of college. I did it so I could pursue photography, and since then, I haven't looked back. Yes I truly miss it. However, I would not be the person I am today without it. To all of those people who I have met and have helped me along the way, whether it was through swim or photo, thank you(you know who you are). 

That being said, one of my favorite things to shoot besides surf is swim. So, here is a blog post of a recent shoot I did with some current members of the CBU Swim Team. 

Cheers,

Playing Tourist // Johanne Defay

With an early exit in the Swatch Womens Pro, Johanne Defay found herself with some extra downtime. A day trip down to San Diego was planned and executed. Here are some captures from the day of coffee, chocolate chip pancakes and non stop shopping. 

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The Silver Spike // Bianca Buitendag

"I write in order to turn the unknown and questions of confusion into an image as I lay down the pieces of a puzzle on random areas of a surface. I write so that when I return to the previous perspective, I am fascinated by the way a landscape starts to shape as the ends of the puzzle pieces shift nearer and nearer..." - Bianca Buitendag

Fun times were had this past week while the tour was here in San Clemente. Coming in named as the dark horse for the Swatch Womens Pro, Bianca Buitendag comes through with a 2nd place. Coming up quickly in the rankings, Bianca is currently in the 4th spot on the world tour but is looking to move up over the next few events. Here are some captures from the event with the legend herself. 

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Bringing Home the Gold // Johanne Defay

Today was a big day for pro surfer Johanne Defay. Bringing home the win at the US Open of Surfing this weekend, Johanne is the only girl on the world tour with out a major sponsor behind her as well as the only girl from France on the tour. So proud of her and her accomplishment! Here is a recap of the finals day. 

Cheers,

2nd Floor Creative // The Man Behind The Work

Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."

- Charles Mingus

The quote above says it all. Tim Aaron of 2nd Floor Creative is a simple yet well spoken person, and he creates just that. Logos and other designs created by Tim show the elegance of simplicity and also the power of a well thought out message. If you are in need of a powerful branding with a classic and custom look, he is your man. Check out his stuff at: http://2ndfloorcreative.com/

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Comment tu dis... Inspiration?

Craziness, is doing the same thing every day and expecting a different result. 

- Albert Einstein

Spent a lot of time this past weekend with this amazing human. With a heart of gold and a beautiful smile that shows it, Johanne Defay is one of the kindest and most caring people you will ever meet. Here are some images from the contest scene and home base to recap the weekend.

Cheers